Stella, May I know how you bathe Popcorn?

5:34 PM
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First we fill the water with some soapy warm water and gently plop him in.

He starts swimming around. I would like to think he is actually swimming, but it's more like paddling around with his head above water.

We chase him around with a tiny children's toothbrush and give him a good scrubbing. The dirtiest part is always under his nails. The toothbrush is great for cleaning that, however the toothbrush is even better at cleaning between his little spines. We just use the toothbrush as if it was a spine brush and comb his spines.

When he is done with his play time, he just stops paddling and floats.

That's when it is time for a rinse!

Gently pat him down with a towel. All clean!

We use Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid. You know the blue one with the cute animals on the packaging? We find it the gentlest, but still able to clean him. It also allows him to frolic and play in the soapy water without irritating him. Popcorn gets bathed about once a month. If he's made a mess or having an upset stomach, then we would also bathe him after he's had an accident.

If you find your hedgie afraid of baths, try having the water prepped beforehand. You will want to have the "bath tub" filled and soapy and have a bucket of water nearby for the rinse. That way your little one will not hear the water coming out of the faucet. They are quite sensitive to sound and can be easily startled when they hear that. One time, I wanted to give Popcorn a quick "shower." I think the noise from the faucet must have scared him and he took a big bite of my finger! He didn't just bite and let go either, he just kept clamped down until I massaged his little mouth to let go. That bite hurt for at least a week! So while hedgehogs look like they have cute little teeth, they still chomp down hard. Now Popcorn has gotten used to the faucet sound a bit more, so as long as we keep the faucet setting at a lower power he doesn't get upset or scared.

If you find that your hedgehog's skin is getting dry, I find that dropping in some jojoba oil does the trick. I just drop a few drops of oil between the spines and the skin is moisturized. Remember, do not use tea tree oil! Tea tree oil is toxic to hedgehogs. Tea tree oil can be found in your hand soaps, shampoos, and candles. You may think since candles don't have direct contact with your hedgehog it will be safe for them, but even inhaling it can cause harm to your hedgehogs. Tea tree oil, direct contact or inhaled, can cause renal or liver failure, and can eventually lead to complete organ failure. It's best to be safe and keep tea tree oil far away from your hedgehog.

Come back Tuesday January 19th for National Popcorn Day! I have Mister's signature kettle popcorn recipe for Tutorial Tuesday.